Young Goulburn Valley dancers delivered four sold-out inspirational performances earlier this month at the start of the 2021 Shepparton Festival.
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Shepparton-based Awaken Dance Theatre Company's original piece Within, created in collaboration with the Australian Ballet, involved 24 dancers aged from nine to 18 years old performing at WestSide Performing Arts Centre on Saturday, June 12 and Sunday, June 13.
Company creative director Kya McGregor said inspiration for Within came from people's lockdown experiences.
“The piece took the audience on a journey exploring the impact of brokenness, feeling overwhelmed by media reports, dealing with the physical and mental struggle of isolation, being stuck in small spaces and time moving fast and slow,” Ms McGregor said.
“The piece ended with a return to a different kind of normal called ‘Light’ which focused on the hope to get through difficult seasons in life such as lockdown,” she said.
She said despite the difficulties of changing pandemic restrictions which impacted rehearsal times and audience numbers, the young dancers rose to the challenge and delivered "incredible" performances.
“The cast had a can-do attitude and worked extremely hard to bring their very best throughout this situation,” Ms McGregor said.
She thanked not-for-profit group The Apprenticeship Factory, Greater Shepparton City Council and The Shepparton Festival for their support.
Awaken Dance Theatre Company's four shows marked the start of a three-year partnership with Australian Ballet funded by The Fairley Foundation.
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